Doc: Tell Hue Jackson it's a passing league

New OC wants to run, but games are won in the air

10:15 PM,
Jan. 18, 2014

Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson wants to run the ball.

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Hue Jackson wants to knock defenses around and bring them to their knees, and you don't do that with the passing game. Offense dictates tempo in football. Jackson wants the Bengals' tempo to be dump-truck deliberate, so by the end of the game, the other guys feel rolled over.

"The running game defeats teams," the Bengals offensive coordinator suggests. He's talking mentally and otherwise. Running establishes a mindset, in your team and theirs. Running is the football equivalent of 10 rounds of hooks to the belly. This is what Jackson believes, and he will not be swayed: "Offensive teams ...